Female auditor a little frightening (8)
I believe the answer is:
fearsome
'frightening' is the definition.
('fearsome' can be a synonym of 'frightening')
'female auditor a little' is the wordplay.
'female' becomes 'f' (abbreviation).
'auditor' becomes 'ear' (I've seen this in other clues).
'a little' becomes 'some' (I've seen this before**).
'f'+'ear'+'some'='FEARSOME'
(Other definitions for fearsome that I've seen before include "Dreadful" , "Fame rose and became frightening" , "Of frightening appearance" , "Terrifying" , "Formidable" .)